


See You On The Other Side

by DGCatAniSiri



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 16:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14500584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DGCatAniSiri/pseuds/DGCatAniSiri
Summary: Veetor and Kal share a moment before Kal heads to Palaven.





	See You On The Other Side

Veetor bounced on the balls of his feet. It was a quirk he’d developed after Freedom’s Progress, and it hadn’t managed to go away, even after Doctor Elan’Shiya had said he didn’t need to be in constant medical observation. She’d said that it was something he’d likely have to deal with for a long time, possibly the rest of his life – the trauma of the Collector’s attack had left him with permanent scars. They could only be adapted to, not removed. He understood that. This was simply a nervous tick that he couldn’t shake, and no one judged him for it, knowing what he went through.

It didn’t change how much he was irritated with himself for doing so as he waited. 

He wanted to see the homeworld. Rannoch. The quarians had their world again, and peace with the geth. Commander Shepard and Tali’Zorah had arranged a peace, getting the Admiralty Board to go along with it. He wasn’t sure how that would work, but with the war, the Reaper invasion, there were probably bigger things to worry about than restarting old fights with the geth. The quarian people at large were tired of fighting, just wanted to savor the fact that they had a planet once more. 

But not all the quarians were going down to Rannoch. Quarian marines were joining the fight around the galaxy. Among them was Kal’Reegar. 

Veetor had remained on the Valees, one of the vessels that had been properly outfitted for combat, rather than the liveships that had simply gotten canons strapped to them, knowing that Kal’Reegar was among its marine complement. 

He spotted the familiar flash of red armor that Kal’Reegar wore, breaking into a grin beneath his helmet. “Kal!” he called out, though he knew that Kal would likely have already spotted him – the marine was always hyper-aware of his surroundings, especially when he was this close to shipping out.

Still, Kal’s pace picked up at Veetor’s call until he had crossed the distance. “There you are. I was hoping you’d get free before I shipped out,” Kal said, gentle affection in his voice. He placed his hands on Veetor’s hips as Veetor’s came to rest on Kal’s arms.

“Kal...” Veeto suddenly choked up at the realization – Kal was about to go to the front line. There was a very high chance that he wouldn’t make it back. “Kal, I... I wish we had more time.”

Kal chuckled. “I know what you mean.” Veetor had been attracted to the marine from when they’d met at Tali’Zorah’s trial. It had taken a little time for him to recognize it, but Kal had seen it from the start. He’d been resistant, wanting to wait for Veetor to get a clean bill of health from the doctors before he’d accept them taking that step, not wanting Veetor to jump into something he wasn’t ready for. The doctors had been in agreement with the idea, saying that if he ran headlong into a relationship without fully processing his trauma, it could crash and burn and set him back.

Of course, then the Admiralty Board voted to go to war. Suddenly, triggering Veetor seemed less of a concern, and Veetor and Kal had thrown caution to the wind.

“We’ve barely had a month...” Veetor said, resting his head against Kal. “And with the war...” There’d been so little time for them – when they hadn’t simply seen each other in passing, in stolen moments together, and they were no more than moments, they’d been run ragged, able to do little more than try to decompress in the arms of the other.

And now, the admirals were sending their troops off to aid the turians at Palaven. Veetor was no soldier, even if he weren’t barely off medical observation. He was a technician, he kept computers running, not guns. No ship was taking him to Palaven.

“I wish I were going,” he said softly.

“No you don’t,” Kal said with a chuckle. “It’s gonna be hell. I want you to be safe. You have a better chance of that here, on Rannoch. If anything, I wish I were staying.” The only problem with that idea, of course, was that Kal absolutely was a soldier. He wouldn’t be satisfied by letting others fight when he could.

“Maybe... But whichever it is, I wish we were staying together.” Not being with Kal, not being able to see or hear him, contact him... That was the part that scared him the most. And he was about to be so completely out of contact... “Kal... I’m scared.”

He could feel Kal nod, one of his hands moving from Veetor’s waist to gently rub his back. “I know, Veetor. I am too.”

“You?” Veetor asked, only half serious. “You’re a marine. You don’t get scared.”

“Sure I do. The soldier who doesn’t feel fear is a fool.” Kal paused. “And... I’m scared for you. I don’t want the Reapers to come here, take you.”

Veetor knew better than to speak the first thought that came to his mind – They won’t. Veetor would die before he let the Reapers take him. He didn’t have a death wish, but he knew that the doctors, and probably Kal as well, would worry. And Kal had enough to worry about right now.

They held each other for another few minutes, even as others ran around the corridors, readying the ship for its departure. 

“Veetor... I’ve got to...”

“I know.” Veetor wasn’t ready to let go of Kal, though. “Kal, I...” He wanted more time – he had never been able to find words easily, but right now...

Kal squeezed him closer. “I know. I wish that too.” Veetor could feel one of Kal’s hands gently run over the connection hook up for Veetor’s suit. Veetor shivered – he’d thought about it more than a few times, but, with how new their relationship was, he certainly had never been able verbalize that, knowing how it would sound like he was latching on to Kal, right out of his trauma counseling.

Non-quarians would likely assume that linking suits was something that could be done quickly, establish the connection, take a few breaths together, you were done. The true joy was in how long you could mix your air, in knowing that the breaths you were taking were of the same air as the one you loved. Rushing it spoiled the experience. Especially that first time, given that there was always the risk that one or both immune systems would have a negative reaction – better to give your own system a chance to acclimate. With the war against the geth as the backdrop to their relationship, there simply hadn’t been time.

Something dislodged in Veetor’s brain at that, and he pulled back slightly, so he could meet Kal’s gaze. “Kal... They’re saying that the geth on Rannoch are... willing to help volunteers, kickstart their immune systems – They can mimic infections, so that our immune systems can adapt to diseases, like a vaccine, only able to prevent accidentally causing genuine infections.” That had always been the risk for returning to the homeworld, given three hundred years without any interaction with the illnesses of the homeworld.

“Keelah...” Veetor knew that Kal likely wasn’t sure what to make of it – as a marine, he’d grown accustomed to the idea of combatting the geth. To hear about them helping the quarians, and of their own free will... That was something that could definitely take a little time to adjust to.

And then Kal got that look to him, the one that said he was going into command mode – Veetor had seen it often when he was speaking to the soldiers under his command, knew that this was Kal wanting no arguments. “All right, here’s what I want you to do, Veetor. Tali’Zorah and Commander Shepard vouched for these geth, got the Admiralty Board to go along with it, so I’m gonna trust their judgment. The first two at least haven’t steered us wrong yet.” He took one of Veetor’s hands into both of his. “Go to Rannoch, and volunteer for this geth vaccine. Because when I come back from Palaven... When I come HOME from Palaven... I want to kiss you.”

For a moment, higher brain function was impossible for Veetor. The idea of a kiss... It was far more than just linking suits. That kind of intimacy was rare enough for quarians in general, but even more so for quarians who’d fallen in love with someone of the same sex – taking that kind of risk made sense if you were going to attempt to reproduce, to continue the quarian species, but when you were physically incapable of that... 

The idea of being able to actually feel Kal’s hand in his, as they watched a sunset on Rannoch... It had seemed so beyond the realm of possibility, Veetor had never even dared think of it. 

“I... I want that too, Kal. Keelah...”

Despite the mask obscuring his face, Veetor knew that Kal was smiling at him. “Then that’s what I’ll fight for. To come home to you.” Kal gave Veetor’s hand another gentle squeeze. “I have to go now, Veetor.”

“I know.” A pause, Veetor not quite letting go of Kal’s hand. “Kal... I love you.”

Another masked smile. “I love you, Veetor.”

“Keelah se’lai.”

“It’s not the homeworld I hope to see again.”

**Author's Note:**

> They are reunited and have a happy ending, adopting poor orphan Jona. This is canon and no argument will be heard or accepted.


End file.
